So John Tierney comes out of the closet in favor of polygamy.

When will the Republicans introduce a Constitutional amendment "protecting" marriage as it existed in Old Testament times? Nothing wrong with polygamy if it's sanctioned by the right religious text, eh? Funny how the "slippery slope" argument ("eight women, two dogs, and a sheep") never gets deployed against VRWC insiders, isn't it? I wonder why that is?

But the subtext in John Tierney's column (via E&P (via Atrios)) isn't about sex or about religion; it's about money:

Responding to one critique of the practice, Tierney writes: "Some opponents of polygamy call it the exploitation of women by rich men, and that's true if the wives are coerced into the marriages. But many wives have willingly chosen it." He then cites as authorities women in African he once interviewed. [Tierney rather transparently foists his own desires onto black women. Nice. But let's see where it leads.] They told him, "it was better to share one prosperous husband than to marry someone else without land, cows or a job." He claims, "That's the way social scientists figure it, too."

So, there you have it. Adolf Coors should have as many wives as he wants. Richard Mellon Scaife, too. Why? They're rich.

And... What's that tune going through my head? "We'll... meet... again..." Ah yes! One thing we know about the rich; they can afford the bunkers the rest of us can't. From Dr. Strangelove:

[Strangelove's plan for post-nuclear war survival involves living underground with a 10:1 female-to-male ratio]
General "Buck" Turgidson: Doctor, you mentioned the ratio of ten women to each man. Now, wouldn't that necessitate the abandonment of the so-called monogamous sexual relationship, I mean, as far as men were concerned?
Dr. Strangelove: Regrettably, yes. But it is, you know, a sacrifice required for the future of the human race. I hasten to add that since each man will be required to do prodigious... service along these lines, the women will have to be selected for their sexual characteristics which will have to be of a highly stimulating nature.

So, it's a two-fer! Not only do the rich deserve more women, by getting them into the bunkers, they're saving the human race!

I'm glad our oligarchy is so public-spirited; I really am.